The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday that South Carolina may lawfully exclude Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program, handing a victory to pro-life advocates and paving the way for other states seeking to defund abortion providers.
The decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood overturns lower court rulings that blocked South Carolina from enforcing a 2018 directive by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, which deemed abortion providers ineligible for state Medicaid funding.
Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch concluded that federal law does not grant Medicaid patients the ability to sue over a state’s decision to exclude providers like Planned Parenthood for performing abortions.
“[P]rivate enforcement does not always benefit the public, not least because it requires States to divert money and attention away from social services and toward litigation,” Gorsuch wrote. “And balancing those costs and benefits poses a question of public policy that, under our system of government, only Congress may answer.”
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett joined the majority, while the court’s three liberal justices dissented.
The case began in 2018 when Planned Parenthood patient Julie Edwards sued South Carolina under Section 1983, claiming Medicaid guarantees a right to choose any qualified provider.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian legal advocacy group, represented the state, arguing before the Court in April that states have the constitutional authority to determine which entities qualify to receive Medicaid funding.
“This is a massive win for life, women’s health, and common sense,” ADF CEO and President Kristen Waggoner said Thursday. “Taxpayers should not be forced to fund a radical, multi-billion-dollar organization that specializes in political activism, abortion, and providing dangerous drugs to children who identify as the opposite sex.”
McMaster, who issued the original state order, also celebrated the decision.
“Seven years ago, we took a stand to protect the sanctity of life and defend South Carolina’s authority and values — and today, we are finally victorious,” McMaster said. “The legality of my executive order prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood has been affirmed by the highest court in the land.”